Hematological and Biochemical Effects Associated with Prolonged Administration of the NSAID Firocoxib in Adult Healthy Horses.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) represent one of the most commonly used classes of drugs in both human and veterinary medicine. However, many clinical side effects have been observed, especially when treatment has been prolonged. While the anti-inflammatory efficacy and safety of repeated administration of firocoxib (Previcox®), which is a selective NSAID COX-2 inhibitor, has been evaluated for short-term use (one to fourteen days), its clinical relevance for longer-term use is not known. As a preliminary study, healthy, adult male and female horses (n = 7) were treated with firocoxib for 40 days concomitant with the collection of blood samples encompassing treatment to assess hematological and biochemical endpoints. Daily oral administration of firocoxib was performed with one 57 mg tablet/animal (0.11-0.14 mg/kg), which was crushed and mixed with feed. Blood samples were collected one day before treatment (D0 or basal sample), during (D10, D20, D30, and D40), and after treatment (D55 and D70). Results indicated some hematological and biochemical effects were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) towards the end of treatment on D40 relative to pre-treatment or baseline values on D0. Post-treatment, all values returned to pre-treatment values within 30 days without any apparent clinical adversities. In conclusion, while these preliminary results are favorable for prolonged use of firocoxib in horses, future studies are required to evaluate the efficacy of prolonged use accompanied with other clinically relevant endpoints in healthy as well as injured or diseased animals.

Evaluation of blastocyst re-expansion, quality in relation to storage temperature, and sexing using blastocoel fluid after manual perforation with a hand-held needle involving in vivo produced equine embryos.

The present study was designed to evaluate equine blastocyst re-expansion rate, quality, and sex following perforation of the blastocoel, collection of blastocoel fluid (BF), and PCR amplification of free DNA. Experiment 1 tested the feasibility of the BF sample collection with a hand-held, small-gauged needle (26g) and subsequent PCR amplification of the TSP-Y gene for males and AMEL-Y gene for males and AMEL-X gene for females. Experiment 2 tested the application of the technique. Equine embryos were collected via uterine flushes 8d after ovulation. Thereafter, embryos (n = 19) were initially assessed and transferred to a 50 µL droplet of holding medium in which the blastocoel was manually perforated as in Experiment 1. Within 1 min of detecting a diameter decrease or collapse, the entire volume of each droplet of medium was collected and stored at -20 °C until PCR. In Experiment 1, amplification of the TSP-Y gene was positive for males at 60% (9/15) and negative for females at 40% (6/15). In Experiment 2, a total of 42 embryos were randomly assigned to a collapsed embryo (CE) or intact embryo (IE) groups and stored at room temperature (RT, 25 °C) or cold temperature (CT, 5 °C) for 24h as follows: 1) CERT, n = 11; 2) CECT n = 11; 3) IERT, n = 10; and 4) IECT, n = 10. After 24h, embryo diameter and quality were reassessed. For all collapsed embryos (n = 19), blastocoel fluid was subjected to double PCR amplification of the TSPY gene with blood from adult male and female horses as controls. Positive gene amplification indicated 57.9% (11/19) of embryos were male and negative amplification indicated 31.6% (6/19) of embryos were female. Relative to the least diameter (0%) after perforation of collapsed embryos or fullest diameter (100%) of intact embryos at T0, percentage change in diameter and quality Grade 1 or 2 embryos after 24h of storage for all groups were, respectively: 31.2% and 54% for CERT group, 28.2% and 0% for CECT group, 25.9% and 100% for IERT group, 4.3% and 80% for IECT group, respectively. Thus, needle-induced leakage and collapse of the blastocoel at T0 resulted in a high rate of blastocyst re-expansion (69%) with many embryos (54%) achieving good quality at T24 with potential for transfer as either male or female embryos. For both collapsed and intact embryos, it was observed that storage for 24h at room temperature (25 °C) was associated with improved embryo growth and morphological quality compared to storage at cold temperature (5 °C).

Neospora caninum infection and reproductive problems in dairy cows from Brazil: A case-control study.

Neosporosis, an infectious disease caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum, has been associated with economic losses in cattle rearing worldwide. However, previous studies have not presented any evidence regarding the association between serological status of neosporosis and alteration of the reproductive parameters. Thus, this study aimed to determine whether N. caninum is associated with reproductive disorders and to evaluate the possible risk factors of the infection. Blood samples from 202 dairy cows, 51 with a history of reproductive disorders (case group) and 151 without (control group), were collected from different farms in Brazil. Epidemiological questionnaires were conducted with all the farmers. Serum samples were subjected to an indirect fluorescent antibody test to detect antibodies against the parasite. In total, 28.22% (57/202) of the cows were seropositive: 47.06% (24/51) from the case group and 21.85% (33/151) from the control group. By logistic regression, cows aged ≥48 months and cows with history of abortion were 4.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.91-12.05; p = 0.001) and 2.3 (95% CI = 1.06-5.1; p = 0.034) times more likely to be seropositive, respectively. Furthermore, our results show an association between N. caninum seropositivity and abortion in dairy cows from Brazil with poor management conditions and N. caninum seropositivity risk factors for reproductive disorders.

Effect of uterine ozone therapy and anticoagulant sampling on oxidative stress parameters in mares.

With the purpose of assessing the effects of uterine ozone therapy and anticoagulant sampling on oxidative stress (OS) parameters in mares, ten mares underwent three consecutive days of uterine ozone therapy by flushing the uterus with ozonated lactated Ringer's solution followed by insufflation with ozone­oxygen gas. Serum samples were obtained at baseline and days 3, 6, 10 and 17 to determine the effect of ozone therapy on OS markers. Plasma obtained with anticoagulants citrate, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and heparin were at baseline and 6 days following therapy to determine the effect of anticoagulant on OS parameters. Antioxidants albumin and uric acid, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) using four different methods, total oxidant capacity (TOC) and lipid peroxidation were determined through photocolorimetry. Statistical analyses comprised repeated measures ANOVA followed by Dunnett's test or Friedman followed by Dunn's post-hoc test. Differences were considered significant when p < 0.05. Uterine ozone therapy significantly decreased uric acid, TAC in all four different methods, concomitantly with an increase on TOC at days 3 and 6 following therapy. No changes were observed on albumin and lipid peroxidation levels. Anticoagulants prevented the detection of oxidative stress induced by uterine ozone therapy depending on the method of analysis. In conclusion, uterine ozone therapy causes systemic oxidative stress in mares and the choice of anticoagulant sampling interferes with laboratory tests.

Hidratação enteral em equinos: solução eletrolítica associada ou não à glicose, à maltodextrina e ao sulfato de magnésio: resultados de laboratório / Enteral fluid therapy in horses: electrolyte solution associated or not with glucose, maltodextrine and magnesium sulphate: laboratory results

No presente estudo, foram avaliados os efeitos de soluções eletrolíticas administradas via sonda nasoesofágica de pequeno calibre sobre o hematócrito, o volume plasmático e as concentrações plasmáticas de proteínas totais, sódio, potássio, cloreto, magnésio total e cálcio iônico de eqüinos hígidos e desidratados experimentalmente. Foram utilizados quatro equinos adultos, mestiços, dois machos e duas fêmeas. No experimento 1 (E1Des), os animais foram desidratados experimentalmente, enquanto no 2 (E2Hig) foram utilizados equinos hígidos. Os animais foram submetidos a cada um dos seguintes tratamentos: SE - solução eletrolítica isotônica; SEGli - solução eletrolítica isotônica + glicose; SEMalt - solução eletrolítica isotônica + maltodextrina e SEMg - solução eletrolítica isotônica + sulfato de magnésio. A solução eletrolítica foi administrada na dose de 15mL kg-1 h-1, durante 12h via sonda nasoesofágica por fluxo contínuo. Os tratamentos com as soluções eletrolíticas ocasionaram expansão do volume plasmático, ocasionando a redução nos valores das proteínas plasmáticas totais e do hematócrito, enquanto os valores dos eletrólitos avaliados permaneceram na faixa de referência.

In the present study, the effects of four different electrolyte solutions on the packed cell volume (PCV), plasma volume and plasma concentrations of total protein, sodium, potassium, chloride, total magnesium, and ionized calcium in healthy and experimentally dehydrated horses were evaluated. Four crossbred horses, two males and two females were used. In experiment 1 (E1Des) the animals were experimentally dehydrated, while in the second experiment (E2Hig) healthy equines were used. In both experiments the animals were subjected to the following treatments: SE - isotonic electrolyte solution; SEGlu - glucose-enriched SE; SEMalt - maltodextrine-enriched SE and SEMg - magnesium sulphate-enriched SE. The electrolyte solutions used in all treatments were administered at 15mL kg-1 h-1 during 12h through small-bore nasoesophagus tube by continuous flow. The treatments with the electrolyte solutions resulted in an increase of plasma volume and a decrease in total plasma protein, hematocrit, while the electrolytes remained within the reference values.